They gave their name to the city of "Yakoma at the confluence of the "Welle and Mbobou rivers and provided the land for the French post at "les Abiras which served as the first capital of "Ubangi-Shari, the predecessor of the present-day CAR. The Yakoma are "Bantu but speak a distinct dialect (also known as "Yakoma) similar to "Sango.[2]